Polaris Solar Photovoltaic Network has learned that on January 5, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a joint statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines, in which China and the Philippines will discuss cooperation in solar energy, wind energy, electric vehicles, nuclear power generation and other fields.

Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines

(Beijing, January 5, 2023)

At the beginning of the New Year, this visit demonstrates President Marcos' sincere friendship towards China and the Chinese people as well as his firm confidence in the future development of China-Philippines relations.

The two sides reviewed the development of China-Philippines relations and agreed that the two countries enjoy deep high-level exchanges and close economic and people-to-people ties. Building on their meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November 2022, the two heads of state reached further important consensus at this meeting.

During his visit, President Marcos also met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Zhanshu.

The Philippines congratulated the Communist Party of China on its successful convening of the 20th National Congress and its commitment to comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization. China wishes the Philippines better national development under the leadership of President Marcos. The two heads of state agreed to give each other stronger support in the development process of their respective countries, jointly push forward the modernization drive and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

4. The two sides commit to deepen cooperation in the four key areas of agriculture, infrastructure, energy and culture, and explore more avenues of cooperation in defense, security, science and technology, trade and investment.

5. The two sides agreed to further develop bilateral trade and strive to recover and exceed the pre-epidemic bilateral trade volume. The two sides stressed the importance of promoting trade balance and will expand market access for Philippine exports. The two sides welcomed the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Philippine Stock Exchange to further deepen cooperation between the two countries' capital markets. The two sides welcomed the signing of a series of agreements on cooperation in the commercial field to support the economic growth and development of the two countries. The two sides will continue to promote sustainable and inclusive trade at bilateral and regional levels and strengthen cooperation on digital economy and green development.

6. The two sides agreed to strengthen agricultural cooperation and signed a number of agricultural cooperation documents, including the Action Plan on Agricultural and Fishery Cooperation between China and the Philippines (2023-2025), the Certificate of Handover of the third phase of the Technical Cooperation Project of the China-Philippines Agricultural Technology Center and the Quarantine Protocol on the shipment of Philippine fresh durian to China. The Philippines thanks the Chinese government for providing much-needed agricultural supplies.

7. The two sides attach great importance to infrastructure development and stand ready to continue to deepen the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Plan to build more for Better Construction, and advance high-quality cooperation on infrastructure projects to boost economic growth. The two sides renewed the Memorandum of Understanding on Belt and Road cooperation, signed the Framework Agreement on the Pasig River Bridge Project and the Certificate of handover of China-assisted infrastructure projects in the Philippines, and exchanged views on the loan agreement on supporting the Philippines' infrastructure development. The two sides will further deepen cooperation in infrastructure construction, build the Davo-Samar Bridge and other key projects, explore cooperation in economic and trade innovation and development at agreed locations, and jointly maintain stability of the production and supply chain.

8. In the field of oil and gas cooperation, the two sides agreed to keep in mind the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on Oil and Gas Development Cooperation signed in 2018, and to resume offshore oil and gas development consultations at an early date on the basis of the existing results for the benefit of the two countries and peoples. The two sides will explore cooperation in solar energy, wind energy, electric vehicles and nuclear power generation.

9. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to building closer political, economic, scientific, technological and people-to-people ties, taking the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines in 2025.